Law change to allow organ swap

In a move that could give a new lease of life to people with organ failure, the Union government on Thursday decided to relax the law to allow swap donation between two patients but raised the penalty for those caught selling or buying organs.

In a move that could give a new lease of life to people with organ failure, the Union government on Thursday decided to relax the law to allow swap donation between two patients but raised the penalty for those caught selling or buying organs.

The Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994 says that only blood relatives and those close to the patient can donate their organs.

According to an estimate, more than four lakh patients need organ transplants annually. But under the existing regime, only 35,000 patients are able to get organs.

Rising PricesIn another decision, the Cabinet has also asked states to regulate stocks of sugar, pulses, paddy, rice and edible oilseeds that traders can keep till September-end 2010 to check rising prices.

Nine new NITsThe Cabinet has given its nod to setting up of nine new National Institutes of Technology in Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Goa, Puducherry, Sikkim, Delhi and Uttrakhand.